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updated: 1/28/13
GOALS
[2A2] ETHICS [2A2] The second goal of the required leadership/ethics flag courses -- learn to make real-life ethical choices -- is closely related to the core purpose of the University of Texas, to transform lives for the benefit of society. It is also one of the basic education requirements of U.T.: “have experience in thinking about moral and ethical problems.” Our ethics goals are [2A2a] To experience by analogy a little of ethical dilemma presented by Anti-Semitism, especially the Holocaust. [2A2b] To experience by analogy a little of ethical dilemma presented by racism, especially slavery. [2A2c] To experience more directly the ethical dilemmas presented by speciesism, especially cruelty to animals. [2A2d] To become aware of real-life ethical choices made daily by all of us involving cruelty to animals. [2A2e] To return to the traditional college goals of developing character and conscience. [2A2f] To practice replacing fear and greed with love, compassion, tolerance, and the sympathetic imagination.
We are trying to learning ethics experientially. In this case, you are asked to recall how you used to "pretend" when you played as a child. Now, your assignment is to become an actor, acting as if the analogies are basically true. This "willing suspension of disbelief," as Coleridge put it, is essential to the effectiveness of all novels, plays, movies, etc. In this case, we temporarily relinguish our disbelief in order to experience a little of what that person might have thought and felt who lived by a concentration camp or a plantation supported by slavery. We know that a comparison is not an equation, but as we at least pretend there is a connection (or "intersection"), we will mount our defenses against the analogies between factory farming and the Holocaust. As we do so we can thus consider the possibility that we would have mounted at least one or two similar defenses had we been that person who lived by a concentration camp or a plantation supported by slavery. When we do so we advance on our pilgrimage to a higher ethics for ourselves.
TODAY'S TOPICS: [1] The Truth shall Set You Free. Free from what? "Mind-Forged Manacles,"* Invisible Ideologies: example Carnism; + [2] The Ethics of Diet
* William Blake, "London," p. 249
TODAY'S ACTIVITIES:GUIDED IMAGERY,FEEDBACK (using emotion words to describe the high and low points of the previous week to get to know each other better and prepare for emotive ethics); QUIZ; BLOG DISCUSSION
REQUIRED READING FOR FEEDBACK:
LISTENING GUIDELINES
Covey on listening + reading,writing, speaking………….……80‐81
Discussion………………………………………………………..82
Listening…………………………………………………………83
Have You Tried Listening?...........................................................84
EMOTIONAL LITERACY
Emotion Words Checklist…………………………………………………542‐549
Children’s Feeling Words…………………………………………………550
Vocabulary of Emotion……………………………………………………551
Intensity of Feelings Chart……………………………………………… 552REQUIRED READING FOR DISCUSSION: COURSE ANTHOLOGY PAGES 430-470
Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows
The Face on Your Plate
REVIEW: EARTHLINGS, David Sztybel, “Can the Treatment of Animals Be Compared to The Holocaust?” 363-386
REVIEW: course description:
Because our primary approach to ethics will be emotive (compassion) rather than philosophical (rights), emotional literacy will also be one of our goals. Two of our basic ethics questions are [1] What would I have done about the Holocaust if I had been in Germany and known what was going on at the time? [2] What would I have done about slavery if I had been in east Texas and known what was going on at the time? We are trying to learn ethics experientially. In this case, your assignment is to become an actor, acting as if the analogies are basically true. This "willing suspension of disbelief," as Coleridge put it, is essential to the effectiveness of all novels, plays, movies, etc. In this case, We temporarily relinguish our disbelief in order to experience a little of what that person might have thought and felt who lived by a concentration camp or a plantation supported by slavery. We know that a comparison is not an equation, but as we try to accept the connection, as we mount our defenses against the analogies between factory farming and the Holocaust, we can thus consider the possibility that we would have mounted similar defenses had we been that person who lived by a concentration camp or a plantation supported by slavery.
Of course it is all too easy to be ethical about events that happened long ago. To make these questions come alive for us now, we will make our ultimate ethical goal to “widen the circle of compassion,” as Einstein put it, not only to all kinds of people but also other species. Analogies between factory farming, slavery, and Nazi concentration camps made by various writers and philosophers, and especially by the shocking documentary Earthlings, will challenge us to become more mindful of ethical decisions we make daily about food, clothing, entertainment, etc., as well as the ethical decisions involved in nonmedical animal research on this campus. Whatever we decide, the goal is to become aware of the importance of practical ethics in daily life.
REVIEW, CONNECT, HAMMER INTO UNITY: YOUR AWARENESS OF INVISIBLE IDEOLOGIES AND DEFENSES THAT HAMPER YOUR CAPACITY FOR "WILLING SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF" TO PRETEND WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR THOSE LIVING NEAR CONCENTRATION CAMPS AND SLAVE QUARTERS.
LOOKING AHEAD:
[1] This week at least one blog is required, but this time BEFORE class, which will be our usual pattern. In other words if don't do the Wednesday blog you run the risk of failing the quizzes.
And from now on you will need to be on time, as per the instructions:
When Are They Due? By 8 P.M. (for maximum points) the day before the class meets, or earlier. You lose two points for each hour the blog is late: -2 for 8-9, -4 for 9-10, -6 for 10-11, -8 for 11-12: after 12 all points are lost. At midnight and after no blog will be accepted because the instructor or student leader of the discussion needs to be able to read all the blogs and organize the discussion before class. (“Discussion” blogs can not be made up later because the discussion will be over.)
[2] Thursday is a new opportunity to earn up to 30 points for leading class discussion (see also pp. 85-86)
[3] 2-11 REQUIRED UNIVERSITY LECTURE 7 PM
“Stress Recess” Stressed by papers? Tests? Relationship issues? For these and other stressors, take a few minutes to check out a new interactive website called “Stress Recess” at http://www.cmhc.utexas.edu/stressrecess, a component of the UT Counseling and Mental Health Center. This site is loaded with videos, animation, video games, body scans, quizzes, clickable charts and graphics and practical information tailored to YOU. Learn what causes stress, signs of stress and—most importantly---what you can do to manage stress in healthy ways!
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